Book Review: The Least Interesting Place by Matt Steinhausen

The Least Interesting Place

by Matt Steinhausen (978.2 Ste)

 

What a hoot! And gorgeous, to boot — speaking of which, boots on fenceposts have their own 2-page spread. This is a book which I wish I had written. Nebraska farmer and amateur historian and photographer Steinhausen has put together a satirically loving tribute to Nebraska, ranked 50th of 50 in the states which people want to visit… The skill, knowledge, affection, and eye for the prairie aesthetic he shows in this deservedly large-format photo book are impressive. Aside from all the tongue-in-cheekiness, there are many tidbits of historical and geographical information included. As a native of Nebraska myself, I thoroughly enjoyed it and think it could be a great marketing tool. Not only is Steinhausen 6th-generation Nebraskan but he lives ‘right here’ in Lancaster County, in which the capital city, Lincoln, is located!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Nebraska: An Illustrated History by Frederick C. Luebke, Along the Edge of Daylight: Photographic Travels from Nebraska and the Great Plains by Georg Joutras, Nebraska Impressions by Steve Mulligan, Abandoned Eastern Nebraska: Rural Wandering by Nicole Renaud, Abandoned Nebraska: Echos of Our Past by Trish Eklund or Nebraska: 150 Years Told through 93 Counties by David L. Hendee.]

[ official The Least Interesting Place Facebook page ] | [ Nebraska Photography page on the official Matt Steinhausen web site ]

 

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

 

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New Booklist: Nebraska Author - Jonis Agee

A new booklist has been added to the content of the libraries' BookGuide readers advisory pages -- "Nebraska Author - Jonis Agee". If you're a fan of this home-grown author, who's been publishing books and poetry collections since 1976, check out this list of her credits. Her two latest novels have been the critical favorites The River Wife (2007) and The Bones of Paradise (2016).

Check out the list of Jonis Agee titles, and some biographical information, at the following link: 

Nebraska Author - Jonis Agee

Book Review: Heart-Land: Growing Up in the Middle of Everything by Douglas Keister

Heart-Land: Growing Up in the Middle of Everything
by Douglas Keister (Biography Keister)

The title tells it all. Douglas Keister reminisces about growing up as the middle child, in the middle of the 20th century, in Lincoln, Nebraska – the middle of the US.

He does so with a humor that’s both sweet and laugh-out-loud:

July 4th – “My Fountain with Report was always a crowd-pleaser. Take a generic fountain, bore a small hole in the bottom, insert cherry bomb, secure with tape, light fountain. Just as the fountain was fizzling out, the last glowing embers would ignite the cherry bomb’s fuse, then a few seconds later there would be a spectacular explosion. The actual trajectory of the fireball was somewhat unpredictable which gave it a high rating on Doug’s Danger Scale.”

Weather – “Nebraskan’s are obsessed with weather. The prime reason is that most Nebraskans are rooted in an agrarian lifestyle – weather means dollars gained or lost. The second reason is entertainment value. Unlike states like California where there are endless days of bucolic sameness, Nebraska has real weather, often two or three seasons in the same day.”

He also touches upon a defining moment bonding most Lincolnites:

“By December (1957) the first seeds of my loss of innocence were sown. In safe, clean, white-bread Lincoln, Nebraska, a troubled young man and his 14-year-old girlfriend would do some terrible things – horrible, unthinkable things…By January 29th Lincoln, Nebraska was in lockdown. The governor called in the National Guard; Jeeps with mounted machine guns patrolled the streets and armed parents rushed to schools to drive their children home.”

Much of what he writes about are the same experiences we’ve all had in our youth. It feels as if we’re chatting with him over coffee and sharing stories. You’ll read portions of the book aloud to whomever is sitting next to you. This is a quiet, enjoyable, quick read that will stay with you.

[ official Heart-Land page on the official Douglas Keister web site ]

See also: Kim J’s review of Heart-Land from January 2015

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Book Review: The Ordinary Spaceman by Clayton Anderson

The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut
by Clayton Anderson [Biography Anderson]

Clayton Anderson is Nebraska’s contribution to the astronaut corps. He famously applied to the astronaut program 15 times before finally being accepted. I met him when he was on book tour in Lincoln while promoting this book. I enjoyed his talk, and found him personable and humorous.

His book is so interesting as he relates a lot of behind-the-scenes stories not usually shared in other astronaut memoirs. He writes about the process for acceptance into the space program, the training involved, and the politics and stress with so many high achievers. He was required to learn Russian for one of his missions and spent many months in Russia training and discusses how difficult his absence was on both he and his family. We re-live the sorrow of the Challenger tragedy when he writes about his role as one of the family escorts.

An enjoyable book full of laughter, grief, and astronaut stories, this is a quick, engrossing read even at 400 pages.

[ publisher’s official Ordinary Spaceman web site ] | [ official Clayton Anderson Twitter feed ] | [ Clayton Anderson’s NASA biography page ]

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Review: Runaways, Vol 1.: Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell

Runaways, Vol. 1: Find Your Way Home
by Rainbow Rowell (writer) and Kris Anka (artist) [YA PB (Graphic Novel) Rowell] 

The Runaways has had an unusual comic-book history. The first version came out in 2003-2004. A follow-up version was released from 2005 to 2009. The title was dormant after 2009 until Omaha author Rainbow Rowell was announced as the writer of an all-new version starting in 2017. This graphic novel is the compilation of the first self-contained storyline of the Rowell era (with art by Kris Anka).

Originally, the Runaways were mere children, the kids of parents who were ultimately revealed to bea group supervillains known as The Pride. When the kids found out their parents were villains, they ran away and formed a loosely-knit family made of each other. Ultimately, they discovered they had inherited special abilities from their parents, and were forced to fight against The Pride and destroy it. The current storyline, starting with Rainbow Rowell’s issues, is set a few years after the storyline that ended in 2009 — some of the Runaways have died or disappeared, and one of their members uses his evil father’s time machine to go back and try to prevent the death of another Runaway. He’s successful, but with a cost. The current group members include Nico Minoru (a powerful witch, who can never repeat the same spell twice), Karolina Dean (a powerful alien), Gertrude “Gert” Yorkes, a young woman with a telepathic connection to a futuristic dinosaur, Molly Hayes (a super-powered mutant), and Chase Stein (who seems to have his villainous father’s knack for creating high-tech devices.

This first Rowell graphic novel reunites the team, who had all gone their separate ways since their earlier break-up. By the end of this first new storyline, they’ve had to take on a seemingly friendly mad scientist and go on the run again.

The characters are fun, the dialog is snappy, and the art is beautiful. I look forward to seeing where Rowell and Anka take these characters in future adventures!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other volumes in the graphic novel series — either the earlier graphic novels that compiled the 2003-2009 version of this comic book, or the volumes that follow this one, by Rowell and Anka. Also, a live-action television series was developed by Marvel Comics for the Hulu streaming service in 2017 (part of Marvel’s extended Marvel Cinematic Universe), which features the versions of these characters that appeared in the earlier pre-Rowell comic books.]

Check out our Rainbow Rowell page on BookGuide.

[ official Runaways page on the official Rainbow Rowell web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New Nebraska Author Booklist on BookGuide: Roger Welsch

Check out a new specialty booklist on our BookGuide readers advisory pages!

Roger L. Welsch is an author from Dannebrog, Nebraska. He is a nationally recognized folklorist, humorist and essayist, who has been publishing since the mid-1960s.

Roger Welsch writes in a variety of categories, but mainly as collections of humorous essays. For 13 years, he contributed to the CBS Sunday Morning news show, with "Postcards From Nebraska". In recent years, Welsch has become interested in old tractor restoration, and a series of his non-fiction books from the late 1990s to the present have featured that hobby. Welsch collaborated with Lincoln politial cartoonist Paul Fell on a series of humorous cartoon books about life in Nebraska.

You can see a complete list of his output, with hotlinks into the library catalog for those titles we own, at:

Nebraska Author Roger Welsch

New Booklist on BookGuide: Nebraska Author Mary Connealy

Check out a new specialty booklist on our BookGuide readers advisory pages!

Mary Connealy is an author from Decatur, Nebraska. Her specialty is Christian Historical Romances, especially those featuring the American West -- i.e. "cowboy romances". She's had over 40 novels published, as well as numerous short stories or novellas, included in a variety of different anthologies over the years.

She's won the Carol Award twice, and been nominated for several other awards. The libraries own most (though not all) of Connealy's works. You can see a complete list of her output, with hotlinks into the library catalog for those titles we do own, at:

Nebraska Author Mary Connealy

A is for Astronaut by Clayton Anderson and Scott Brundage

A is for Astronaut: Blasting Through the Alphabet
by Clayton Anderson, with art by Scott Brundage [jP Anderson]

Nebraska’s one-and-only astronaut, Clayton Anderson, is back with a new book. Unlike his excellent autobiography, The Ordinary Spaceman, for adults, this one is aimed at a young audience. A is for Astronaut is an alphabet book, with each page (or sometimes pair of pages), dedicated to a single letter of the alphabet, from A to Z. However, in this case, all the words Anderson and illustrator Scott Brundage are using as examples, have to do with space exploration and science. Each letter gets a short, rhyming poem, but each also gets a sidebar with detailed information about the scientific concept being covered. Brundage’s art nicely complements Anderson’s poems and essays, and in several cases is downright beautiful. If you’re looking to inspire a little one with uplifting ideas about what they could personally accomplish, I think this book for earlier readers would be a great suggestion — and you can let them know that the author is the only person from Nebraska who’s made it into space as an actual astronaut!

[ Wikipedia page for Clayton Anderson ] [ official Clayton Anderson website is blocked by library security software ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Why I'm an Only Child by Roger Welsch

Why I’m an Only Child: and Other Slightly Naughty Plains Folktales
by Roger Welsch [398.2 Wel] 

A lighthearted yet also heartfelt examination of the category of folk humor he has christened “civil ribaldry”, this offering from Nebraska author Roger Welsch is a true, if sometimes “naughty”, delight. Welsch, whose career as a folklorist, critic, and commentator spans several decades by now, delves into his own inspirations for what he does (and loves), be it from his family members, his neighbors/townsfolk, the historic tradition, or the larger culture. Along the way he provides a clear explanation of this form of rural/folk humor and many fun (and a number of subtly racy) examples of jokes and comical conversations which are mostly suitable to share in mixed company. Grab an adult beverage, put your feet up, and enjoy!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Shingling the Fog and Other Plains Lies or Everything I Know About Women I Learned from My Tractor, also by Roger Welsch]

[ publisher's official Why I'm an Only Child: And Other Slightly Naughty Plains Folktales web site ] | [ Roger Welsch page on the CBS Sunday Morning web page ]

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

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Winter Thunder by Mari Sandoz

Winter Thunder
by Mari Sandoz [Sandoz] 

Whenever we have an especially cold snap with blizzard like conditions, I remember this book. For anyone who grew up in rural areas, we can relate to this teacher and her students who become stranded in a blizzard and have to fight for their survival. To really enjoy this book you need to understand how a whiteout can blind you to something just feet in front of you and how a mile to a home can become an unending journey. This is truly a Nebraska story, by one of Nebraska’s great storytellers.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Anna’s Blizzard, by Alison Hart (youth fiction) and The Children’s Blizzard, by David Laskin (551.555 Las)]

[ Univesity of Nebraska Press’ official Winter Thunder web page ] | [ official Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center web site ]

Recommended by Sandy W.
Gere Branch Library

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The Christmas of the Phonograph Records: A Recollection by Mari Sandoz

The Christmas of the Phonograph Records: A Recollection
by Mari Sandoz [B Sa542] 

Mari Sandoz relates a story of the Christmas a phonograph and records arrived at the farm. Instead of paying debts, Old Jules used an inheritance to splurge on this music. No one else in the area had such a device so everyone from miles around gathered at the Sandoz home. For days visitors ate, danced, and sang to music from their old countries and to new artists.

Published posthumously, this is a riveting peek at a joyful time in what was usually a hard life. A quick read at only 36 pages.

[ official Mari Sandoz Heritage Society web site ]

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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My Nebraska Childhood by Rose B. Clark

My Nebraska Childhood: The Ought-To-Biography of an Octogenarian
by Rose B. Clark [B C549] 

Rose Clark was born in Ohio about 1880 and moved to Nebraska as a very young child. The stories in the book are about her childhood, as the title implies. She would go on to earn a PhD and become a professor of geology and geography at Peru State College and Nebraska Wesleyan University in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. I found out about her while doing volunteer work at Wesleyan and was curious about her life because being a female geology/geography professor in the 1920’s was rather unusual. In the book, she says because her mother died when she was only a toddler, when her older sister started school, her father could not leave her home alone while he was at work, so he asked the teacher nicely if she could go to class with her sister – and the teacher agreed. So she started kindergarten at age 3-4, which perhaps instilled a love for education that carried her through her life. Despite being a Nebraskan myself, I don’t have a particular passion for Nebraska history books but I did like this one. It is only 68 pages long and while I may wish it was a bit longer, the introduction justifies it length. She wrote this memoir (published in 1963) in her 80’s while on bed rest for years due to ill health. Her lack of movement restricted her so that she could not even write with her dominate hand. Determined, she learned to use her left hand to write, while still limited to lying on her back in bed. I admire her strength of will and hardiness despite her ill health. I would recommend this book, and while don’t believe it’s on the list for Nebraska’s 150 Books Challenge, it seems like a good book to read in 2017 to celebrate Nebraska’s 150th statehood anniversary.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Prairie University: A History of the University of Nebraska, by Robert E. Knoll, (378.782 Kno)]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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Nebraska Poetry: A Sesquicentennial Anthology edited by Daniel Simon

Nebraska Poetry: A Sesquicentennial Anthology
edited by Daniel Simon [ 811.08 Sim ] 

In conjunction with the statewide celebrations of Nebraska’s 150th anniversary of Statehood in 2017 (a “sesquicentennial”), this marvelous hardback anthology, covering the history of poetry by poets from Nebraska, was released at a gala event at the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown on April 2nd, 2017. This book, featuring over 160 works by over 80 Nebraska poets, covers the entire 150-year history of Nebraska, from the very first poem published after our statehood was established, to selections by several of today’s most acclaimed and active poets in the state. Organized in chronological order, the first part of the book features selections from some of Nebraska’s most famed authors, including Willa Cather, Bess Streeter Aldrich, Loren Corey Eiseley and John G. Neihardt. The middle section of the book is dedicated to poets who made a strong impression in the early and middle parts of the 20th century, including long-time State Poet William Kloefkorn, two-time National Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, current State Poet Twyla Hansen and many more. The latter part of the book features selections from many of today’s up-and-coming Cornhusker wordslingers.

If you’re a fan of poetry from Nebraska, and have followed any of the 80+ poets represented within, I recommend this anthology to expand your reading. If you are dabbling in the literary world of Nebraska history as the state celebrates its 150th birthday, this is a great sampler, that may lead you to numerous poets whose more extensive works exist in the libraries’ collection. And even if you’re just a poetry fan who doesn’t care where the poets originated, this is a still a stellar collection, filled with excellent representative samplings from a variety of regional authors. And it seems especially fitting to be reviewing this volume in April, which is National Poetry Month!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try many of the volumes of poetry collections by Nebraska poets, found in the American Poetry section of the non-fiction collection — 811 (Poet’s name).]

[ official Nebraska Poetry: A Sesquicentennial Anthology web page] | [ Nebraska 150 Books challenge ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Brief Encounter: Conversations, Magic Moments and Assorted Hijinks by Dick Cavett (on CD)

Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments and Assorted Hijinks
by Dick Cavett [Compact Disc Biography Cavett]

This is the latest collection of New York Times essays by Dick Cavett, one of Lincoln, Nebraska’s more famous sons. As with Talk Show before, Cavett spends some of his time here reminiscing about the guests he’s had on his 1970s-1980s talk show, The Dick Cavett Show, and his own experiences as a comedy writer for such other talk show luminaries as Johnny Carson and Jack Paar. Cavett, an uncompromising Liberal, also uses several of his columns to wax philosophical on causes near and dear to his heart, including sexuality and gun control. But, it is the essays in which he talks about the people who’ve meant a great deal to him over the past 70+ years that really “made” this collection for me. His memories of interacting with Groucho Marx near the end of his life, or of visiting Stan Laurel in Laurel’s small Santa Monica apartment, or recollecting the brilliance of Jonathan Winters after that comic actor’s passing — these are all touching and inspiring, and remind us of what an incredible life this funny and brilliant kid from the Capital City has had, and the fascinating personalities he’s had the chance to meet. I enjoyed this title as an audiobook-on-cd, which Cavett himself narrates. I highly recommend it in audiobook format!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Talk Show also by Cavett.]
[ official Dick Cavett index on the New York Times web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Heart-Land: Growing Up in the Middle of Everything by Douglas Keister

Heart-Land: Growing Up in the Middle of Everything
by Douglas Keister [Biography Keister]

This humorous autobiography is a must-read for anyone who grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska in the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s. The author is Douglas Keister, a local Lincoln boy who went on to publish over thirty books with his photography. Mr. Keister's writing reminds me of the classic movie "A Christmas Story" which was based on the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cass by Jean Shepherd. Memories of the old Gold's Department Store, the Yum-Yum Hut, Tastee Inn and Out and other Lincoln landmarks fill this charming book. There is also a chapter about Charlie Starkweather for those interested in the infamous murder spree. -- recommended by Kim J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Remember When: Memories of Lincoln by James McKee and Linda Hillegass.]

[ official Heart-Land page on the official Douglas Keister web site ]

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Bluegrass / (Batch #004221) by Sandy Creek Bluegrass Band

Bluegrass / (Batch #004221)
by Sandy Creek Bluegrass Band [Compact Disc 781.642 San]

Sandy Creek is a local band who has been playing bluegrass and country music in Lincoln for 40 years. This cd is full of classic bluegrass tunes by Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, such as Rose of Old Kentucky and Uncle Pen. These guys have been playing so long, they really know what they're doing. It's a lot of fun to catch them live, but this cd is definitely worth a listen!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Flatpicker's Reel by Jason Shaw. Jason is a member of Sandy Creek Pickers and has won the National Flat Pick Guitar Championship 3 times -a contest you can only enter every 5 years!] -- recommended by Stephanie E. - Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

[ official Sandy Creek Bluegrass Band web site ]

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The Middle of Everywhere by Mary Pipher

The Middle of Everywhere: The World's Refugees Come to Our Town
by Mary Pipher [325.21 Pip]

Written in 2003, Mary Pipher's book better helps us understand the lives of refugees, especially the lives of refugees in our town, Lincoln, Nebraska. For her efforts on this book and others, Mary has won a number of awards over the years; she recently received the 2014 Literary Heritage Award, given by the Nebraska Literary Heritage Association, a support group for LCL's Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors. -- recommended by Meredith M. - Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors

[Mary has written quite a few books; take a look at The Green Boat, Seeking Peace, The Shelter of Each Other, and Writing to Change the World to name several.]

[ official Mary Pipher web site ]

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Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell

Set in mid-1980s Omaha, this YA novel about first love as experienced by two misfits won me over completely. The references to 80s music mix tapes, comic books, Omaha landmarks, and the intense emotions that accompany adolescent relationships - between family members, cruel classmates, and deep crushes - all rang true. Eleanor is a buxom redhead, dressed in thrift store outfits, bullied at home and at school. Park is half-Asian (a rarity in his Midwest community), with a loving family, but his status is just outside the circle of the popular crowd. The alternating chapters reveal Eleanor & Park's relationship in such a truthful way, that you'll find yourself falling in love with them. -- recommended by Kathryn K. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try North of Beautiful by Headley, Justina Chen, Fangirl by Rowell, Rainbow, Attachments by Rowell, Rainbow.]

[ official Rainbow Rowell web site ]

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Eater-of-Bone

Eater-of-Bone
by Robert Reed

This is a terrific collection of four novellas from Lincoln's own Hugo-award-winning science fiction author. Three of the four stories are reprints, including "A Billion Eves", the story for which Reed won the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Novella. The fourth story is an original one which provides the title for this hardback volume – "Eater-of-Bone". This story is tied in to Reed's long-running "Great Ship" universe of interconnected tales, involving far-future humans who have become nearly immortal, and their experiences as they travel the universe. The story "Eater-of-Bone" is one of the best, and strangest, in that sequence of stories, and I highly recommend it. In addition, all four stories in this collection are among Reed's best work in the past 5 or 6 years. For an author who primarily writes and publishes short fiction (not novels), this is a marvelous introduction to Reed's body of work – you can also sample more of his short stories in the two collections The Dragons of Springplace and The Cuckoo's Boys. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Marrow or The Well of Stars, Reed's two novels set in his Greatship universe.]

[ Nebraska Author Robert Reed booklist here on BookGuide ] | [ official Eater-of-Bone page on the official Robert Reed web site – where you'll find links to many of his stories free online! ]

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